Baby Singewald: Sprinklers, T-Ball, Moving Bedrooms and Old-Fashioned Summer FUN!

Every time I update the blog, or rather try to catch up, I vow that getting so far behind is not going to happen again and that I will find the time to consistently sit down and capture the moments of our lives that seem to be flying by faster than I care to admit.

However, then these three sweet little miracles ask me to play and the "me" time I had allotted is now full of puzzles, coloring, play doh, snuggles, stories and imaginative creativity (with the never ending laundry pile, dishes, cooking and cleaning thrown in for good measure too, after working all day)! I wouldn't change these moments for anything, but it does make it tricky to both sleep and record the incredible things happening in our life!

So, once again, we'll travel back in time to the warm, sunny days full of summer fun, ice cream, sprinklers and giggles...of 2013! Eventually, my life will be caught up on the blog, but until then I'll just remind myself to live in the moment, rather than feel bad because my moments online aren't quite caught up to the precious ones in front of me!

At 2 years old, Little Miss Emma definitely had a perky personality. She has never been camera shy!

The kids loved the summer fun in the sprinkler! John tried to show Emma how fun it was, even when she wasn't convinced that it was a great idea, especially when the water was cold!

Come on Emma, we'll go together! John is such a sweet older brother and so sensitive with his little sister!

Who knew water could be so much fun?!

At 20 weeks pregnant, I was feeling pretty good! I was tired, but knew that would come with taking care of John and Emma and growing another little human at the same time! However, I was glad the morning sickness, (which was far worse the 3rd time around, to the point the Zofran didn't even help), was over and I was able to go back to eating my healthy salads and fruit, and not living on so many crackers, pastas and breads!

On June 20, we found out we were going to be blessed with another boy! YEAH!

John played T-ball last summer and he loved every minute of it! Phil helped coach John's team and knew it would be challenging to work with so many feisty 4-5 year olds, but his team was especially energetic! John had a great time learning how to play the game and loved having us come to watch him, but definitely showed his inattentive side at times (as they all did!) while he was playing out in the field! We also had to laugh at John trying to be so fast and speedy at home all the time and then when he was on the field, he just sauntered around the bases, rather than running full speed. He said he didn't need to try to be fast.... he could make it! What a twerp!

Emma had fun at John's T-ball too.....

Movie theater style in mom and dad's room!

At 2 years old, Emma FINALLY had enough hair to make "piggies" as we call them! Yipppeeeee!!! Let the fun of putting up cute, curly hair begin!

Pool time at Grandma and Grandpa's house!

John started swimming lessons and did a great job! He put his face in the water, jumped in off the side of the pool, went down the slide by himself and became more confident each day that he was in the water! I think we have a little fish on our hands! He couldn't wait until he could do lessons again!

While John loved every minute of swimming lessons, Emma on the other hand, did not. "When is he going to be done, Mom?"

For our 7th Anniversary on July 15, we went out for a special family dinner to Lola's in Waconia. The kids always love to sit outside for dinner, as do we, and being that we don't have a deck on our new house yet, having that option is one of the biggest things we miss from our old house! It was a gorgeous night and the kids loved sitting outside (We take any chance we have to sit outside on a patio when we go out to eat!), watching the boats on the lake and seeing the HUGE fish swim up to the deck. What a fun, family night to celebrate our beginnings!

In preparation for Kieran's arrival, we painted the room down the hall and moved Emma into her "big girl" bedroom. We didn't think she was ready for a full-sized bed yet, and being that bed frames are so expensive normally, we chose to purchase a convertible crib, make it into the toddler bed right away, and know that eventually, we had the headboard and footboard for her full-sized bed when she was ready! We thought we were brilliant to do it that way, and for about a quarter of the price of going to get the bed as a full-sized bed! She loved the ability to get in and out on her own and she really enjoyed picking out the wall stickers (Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck). She was so proud of her new room!

On one of the last days of swimming lessons, it was perfect weather to enjoy the outdoor splash pad after John was done. The kids had a GREAT time and best of all, it wasn't busy! Emma was finally willing to try new things and run through the spraying water, but only if John went first. He was so encouraging and helpful; he is such a great big brother!

One of our absolute favorite things to do is go to the park, especially in the early to mid-morning when the park is nice and quiet!

On July 3, we were blest with the birth of our first niece, Corinne! The kids couldn't wait to have a cousin and they were SO excited to meet her! The end of July we headed to Chicago to see the precious little one and we all loved every minute of snuggles and her sweet little squeaks and noises! John and Emma decided to try out her play gym too and decided that it was acceptable for her use!

Lots of kisses, hugs and snuggles!

On the way home, we stopped at a gas station and John was thrilled to see the bear and Eagle wood carvings. He wouldn't leave before he had a picture with them!

John has always been very artistic and really enjoys sitting down to draw. He has also really loved the Octonauts, a show on Disney Junior about animal friends (Captain Barnacles, Kwazii, Peso, Shellington and Dashi) that live in the sea and take their Octopods out to help save the fish and other sea life from danger. It really is a very educational show, full of facts about fish and sea life that I never knew or caught while watching, but has become dinner conversation more than once! John decided to draw some of the Octonauts one night and we were impressed by how well he did for only being 4 years old!

27 Weeks Pregnant!

For Father's Day, the kids and I did a special project for Phil's office. He was going to paint and update his office, while also making it look a little more professional, so we thought we could add to his decor, since there was a big wall that needed some special love. Needless to say, it has been a hit and a conversation piece for people visiting his office! We love how it turned out!

The first week in August, the Carver County Fair was in town and since we didn't think I'd make the State Fair because of being pregnant, we decided to take the kids to the fair here instead. They loved every minute of seeing the animals, riding on a few rides and trying some yummy food! One of John's favorites was the Giant Slide and Emma loved the helicopters!

Over the 6 week of t-ball, it was so much fun to watch the kids start to understand the game and enjoy batting and running the bases. John did a great job and his distraction at the end of the session wasn't quite as apparent as the beginning, so that was a bonus! He loved batting and running the bases and couldn't wait for next year to play again!